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The British media is reporting that a teacher in the London School of Economics' government department is a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, an extremist group seeking to internally overthrow democracy and capitalism and replace it with Sharia Law. Unfortunately, the violence of groups like Al-Qaeda has caused HUT and groups like it to look less extreme by comparison and so they are not receiving the attention they deserve.
The revelation that an HUT member teaches students in a London university and preaches at a mosque attended by students is exposing the reach of the group. The London Times reports that at least two teachers in London are members or supporters of HUT. This follows an earlier report that resulted in a political scuffle in November when David Cameron, the leader of the opposition Conservative Party, alleged that the government had provided funds to fight extremism to two schools run by the Islamic Shakyhsiyah Foundation, which he said was linked to HUT.
Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Ed Balls calls the accusation a lie, saying that the two schools were inspected in 2007 and were not found to be teaching extremism. The "proprietor" of the school in Slough is the wife of a HUT spokesman and the head teacher is a member of the group who expressed opposition to the "corrupt Western concepts of materialism and freedom" in her journal. The second school in Haringey has had its funding suspended.
Balls is also under fire for not fixing a loophole that allows some Muslim schools to physically discipline their children. The ban on smacking only applies to schools where students receive 12.5 hours of education or more per week, and these schools only operate at night and on weekends. When criticized over the issue, Balls' spokesperson denied that child abuse was taking place and said if he outlawed the Muslim schools from smacking, he'd have to also have to ban relatives from doing it as well.
Attention was also brought to the HUT in the United Kingdom in November when Azad Ali, a Muslim who has defended the group and praised Abdullah Azzam, the Muslim Brotherhood mentor of Osama Bin Laden, was chosen to serve as an advisor to the Director of Public Prosecutions. On his blog, he wrote that "There is no respite from the terrorist slaughter machine of the Zionist state of Israel. America and our own government have given much fuel to this machine and in fact helped to build the killing machine."
Hizb ut-Tahrir also has a significant presence in the United States. On July 19, 2009, the American branch of the group held its Khalifah Conference in Oak Lawn, Illinois and reports say it was attended by between 300 and 700 people. Its theme was "The Fall of Capitalism & The Rise of Islam." The Investigative Project on Terrorism has footage of one imam that spoke at the conference saying that the American Constitution should be replaced by Sharia Law.
Although HUT declares itself to be non-violent and against terrorism, a former member of the organization has produced a documentary that shows leaders of the group supporting suicide bombings against Coalition forces in Iraq as well as Israel, whose right to exist they refuse to recognize. It has also praised jihad in places like Kashmir and Chechnya.
The former leader of HUT wrote in his book that anyone running a government not based on Islam should "either retract or be killed … even if this led to several years of fighting and even if it led to the killing of millions of Muslims and to the martyrdom of millions of believers." FoxNews.com has also reported on a HUT leaflet from March 2009 that called for declaring "a state of war against America" and the group's official stance justifying hijackings if the plane belongs to a country at war with Muslims.
Several members of HUT have gone on to become terrorists, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, so while the group may not train or dispatch terrorists, its extremism certainly motivates some recruits to act in violent ways. Although the two sides disagree on some methods, they are united in their goals.
Al-Qaeda has condemned HUT and the group has condemned the September 11, 2001 attacks, although it is unclear whether the group believes Bin Laden was behind the event or Zionist conspirators in the American government were, as many extremists believe. The group's leader in Britain said after the 2005 bombings in London that he would "condemn what happened in London only after there is the promise from Western leaders to condemn what they have done in Falluja and other parts of Iraq and in Afghanistan." It should also be mentioned that Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohamed, the founder of the Al-Muhajiroun terrorist group allied to Al-Qaeda, helped set up the HUT's branch in Britain before he was expelled from the group.
The ranks of HUT should be expected to grow. As Al-Qaeda's prestige wanes due to its lack of success, other groups offering different strategies for waging jihad are going to gain in popularity. Muslims that share the goal of restoring the Caliphate and spreading Sharia-based governance but have grown disenchanted with Al-Qaeda's means will find an ally they can sympathize with in HUT. Some might try to downplay the significance of HUT due to their relatively benign pursuit of jihad against the West, but they will only be rewarding the group's more intelligent campaign for the same goal.


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[Adobe Turns 30!] The Future of Content and Marketing
Today Adobe completes 30 years! In human terms, that's a big leap, often interpreted as moving "from the terrific twenties to the terrible thirties". Days like these are brought in with champagne and celebrations – a moment to say goodbye to an era and also one to welcome the next. A very big word of thanks to the millions of people around the world who have created, used, enjoyed, and critiqued our creations.
I would like to celebrate this occasion with a look at content and marketing, the core of what Adobe's present and future is based on. The source of this chain of thought was my recent keynote address at the Society of Technical Communication's Annual Summit in Bangalore. I focused on the key trends on the content space from the perspective of a writer, a reader and a marketer of content. I will use a similar approach here to explain the way we're headed in terms of marketing in at least the next year (a safe bet, isn't it?).
There have been several predictions about the future of technology that went horribly bad (some worse than a botched up face-lift). So I will keep mine firmly rooted in trends that already have us by the scruff of the neck.
As a writer
- The world is expanding and mixing furiously: businesses and people are spreading and mixing faster than we think
- Everyone has to contribute to an ROI: so the devilish ratio of returns to cost will haunt us all
As a result, the implications for the content creator and marketer are:
- We will produce more content and more types of content (more rich media). Integrating the authoring and publishing engines with the CMS will be a key challenge.
- The content will have to be reusable. Writers have to focus on creating enterprise structures and guidelines to make content more reusable and searchable.
- We will work in groups spread across the earth. Collaboration will be a combination of technology (cloud), patterns (XML, perhaps?) and processes. Have you read about the 'A Million Penguins' study?
As a reader
- The digital eye will read everywhere: digital immigrants (like me) and natives (born after the iPhone) will notice and read content all day, through different means.
- Their attention span is crashing: Would you still read David Copperfield for fun? Or would you do it Gangnam style?
The implications? Here goes:
- Content will be published to multiple channels and adaptive design (as opposed to just responsive web design) will help the content to respond to user interaction, preferences, locations…..(list goes on and on)
- Content will have to be user and context sensitive. It will have to be precise, related to the need of the audience and it will have to be conveyed fast!
- Multimedia will replace words in more places than ever, and even if it takes up more time, a majority of users will want to see a video (as a funny example here's a video that trains you to increase your reading speed) as opposed to reading paragraphs.
And finally, as a marketer
- The market is growing and diversifying: there are more places and ways to reach our audience or for them to reach us
- Consumers love to interact: marketing communication has become a 2-way process and what the consumer has to say is gaining more ground (Coca Cola intends to use consumer-generated content till 2020!)
So the implications (and I promise this is the last time) are:
- Content will be scrutinized and enriched socially. So we will have to allow our content to be commented on, shared and modified. Else it will be deemed uninteresting and too static!
- Content will have a global purpose, so content created in English will have to be prepped to work in German and Japanese as well!
- We have to assess our impact. Content marketing will not be complete without content analytics. Usage, experience and the effects of content on campaign effectiveness will have to be reported.
The overall impact for content creators is that we will have to know and understand our audience even better and cater to their needs in every possible way. Design and media will be our tools and means but understanding and aiding the correct consumer behavior will be most rewarded. From the perspective of the marketer, content is going to be a key differentiator and knowing the consumer (who using social media is also a creator) of the content will make all the difference.

subset: commoncrawl


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From the new book, Precious Vessels of the Holy Spirit: The Lives and Counsels of Contemporary Elders of Greece, by H. Middleton.
On July 25, 1924, the future Elder Paisios (Eznepidis) was born to pious parents in the town of Farasa, Cappadocia of Asia Minor. The familys spiritual father, the priest-monk Arsenios (the now canonized St. Arsenios of Cappadocia), baptized the babe with his own name, prophesying his future profession as a monk. A week after the baptism (and barely a month after his birth) Arsenios was driven, along with his family, out of Asia Minor by the Turks. St. Arsenios guided his flock along their four-hundred-mile trek to Greece. After a number of stops along the way, Arsenios family finally ended up in the town of Konitsa in Epiros (northwestern Greece). St. Arsenios had reposed, as he had prophesied, forty days after their establishment in Greece, and he left as his spiritual heir the infant Arsenios.
The young Arsenios was wholly given over to God and spent his free time in the silence of nature, where he would pray for hours on end. Having completed his elementary education, he learned the trade of carpentry. He worked as a carpenter until his mandatory military service. He served in the army during the dangerous days of the end of World War II. Arsenios was brave and self-sacrificing, always desiring to put his own life at risk so as to spare his brother. He was particularly concerned about his fellow soldiers who had left wives and children to serve.
Having completed his obligation to his country, Arsenios received his discharge in 1949 and greatly desired to begin his monastic life on the Holy Mountain. Before being able to settle there, however, he had to fulfill his responsibility to his family, to look after his sisters, who were as yet unmarried. Having provided for his sisters future, he was free to begin his monastic vocation with a clean conscience. In 1950 he arrived on Mount Athos, where he learned his first lessons in the monastic way from the virtuous ascetic Fr. Kyril (the future abbot of Koutloumousiou Monastery); but he was unable to stay at his side as he had hoped, and so was sent to the Monastery of Esphigmenou. He was a novice there for four years, after which he was tonsured a monk in 1954 with the name Averkios. He was a conscientious monk, finding ways to both complete his obedience's (which required contact with others) and to preserve his silence, so as to progress in the art of prayer. He was always selfless in helping his brethren, unwilling to rest while others worked (though he may have already completed his own obedience's), as he loved his brothers greatly and without distinction. In addition to his ascetic struggles and the common life in the monastery, he was spiritually enriched through the reading of soul-profiting books. In particular, he read the Lives of the Saints, the Gerontikon, and especially the Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian.
Soon after his tonsure, Monk Averkios left Esphigmenou and joined the (then) idiorrhythmic brotherhood of Philotheou Monastery, where his uncle was a monk. He put himself under obedience to the virtuous Elder Symeon, who gave him the Small Schema in 1956, with the new name Paisios. Fr. Paisios dwelt deeply on the thought that his own spiritual failures and lack of love were the cause of his neighbors shortcomings, as well as of the world s ills. He harshly accused himself, pushing himself to greater self-denial and more fervent prayer for his soul and for the whole world. Furthermore, he cultivated the habit of always seeking the "good reason" for a potentially scandalous event and for peoples actions, and in this way he preserved himself from judging others. For example, pilgrims to Mount Athos had been scandalized by the strange behavior and stories told by a certain monk, and, when they met Elder Paisios, they asked him what was wrong with the monk. He warned them not to judge others, and that this monk was actually virtuous and was simply pretending to be a fool when visitors would come, so as to preserve his silence.
In 1958 Elder Paisios was asked to spend some time in and around his home village of Konitsa so as to support the faithful against the proselytism of Protestant groups. He greatly encouraged the faithful there, helping many people. Afterwards, in 1962, he left to visit Sinai where he stayed for two years. During this time he became beloved of the Bedouins, who benefitted both spiritually as well as materially from his presence. The Elder used the money he received from the sale of his carved wooden handicrafts to buy them food.
On his return to Mount Athos in 1964, Elder Paisios took up residence at the Skete of Iviron before moving to Katounakia at the southernmost tip of Mount Athos for a short stay in the desert there. The Elders failing health may have been part of the reason for his departure from the desert. In 1966, he was operated on and had part of his lungs removed. It was during this time of hospitalization that his long friendship with the then young sisterhood of St. John the Theologian in Souroti, just outside of Thessalonica, began. During his operation he greatly needed blood and it was then that a group of novices from the monastery donated blood to save him. Elder Paisios was most grateful, and after his recovery did whatever he could, materially and spiritually, to help them build their monastery.
In 1968 he spent time at the Monastery of Stavronikita helping with its spiritual as well as material renovation. While there he had the blessing of being in contact with the ascetic Elder Tychon who lived in the hermitage of the Holy Cross, near Stavronikita. Elder Paisios stayed by his side until his repose, serving him selflessly as his disciple. It was during this time that Elder Tychon clothed Fr. Paisios in the Great Schema. According to the wishes of the Elder, Fr. Paisios remained in his hermitage after his repose. He stayed there until 1979, when he moved on to his final home on the Holy Mountain, the hermitage Panagouda, which belongs to the Monastery of Koutloumousiou.
It was here at Panagouda that Elder Paisios fame as a God-bearing elder grew, drawing to him the sick and suffering people of God. He received them all day long, dedicating the night to God in prayer, vigil and spiritual struggle. His regime of prayer and asceticism left him with only two or three hours each night for rest. The self-abandon with which he served God and his fellow man, his strictness with himself, the austerity of his regime, and his sensitive nature made him increasingly prone to sickness. In addition to respiratory problems, in his later days he suffered from a serious hernia that made life very painful. When he was forced to leave the Holy Mountain for various reasons (often due to his illnesses), he would receive pilgrims for hours on end at the womens monastery at Souroti, and the physical effort which this entailed in his weakened state caused him such pain that he would turn pale. He bore his suffering with much grace, however, confident that, as God knows what is best for us, it could not be otherwise. He would say that God is greatly touched when someone who is in great suffering does not complain, but rather uses his energy to pray for others.
In addition to his other illnesses he suffered from hemorrhaging which left him very weak. In his final weeks before leaving the Holy Mountain, he would often fall unconscious. On October 5, 1993 the Elder left his beloved Holy Mountain for the last time. Though he had planned on being off the mountain for just a few days, while in Thessalonica he was diagnosed with cancer that needed immediate treatment. After the operation he spent some time recovering in the hospital and was then transferred to the monastery at Souroti. Despite his critical state he received people, listening to their sorrow and counseling them.
After his operation, Elder Paisios had his heart set on returning to Mount Athos. His attempts to do so, however, were hindered by his failing health. His last days were full of suffering, but also of the joy of the martyrs. On July 11, 1994, he received Holy Communion for the last time. The next day, Elder Paisios gave his soul into Gods keeping. He was buried, according to his wishes, at the Monastery of St. John the Theologian in Souroti. Elder Paisios, perhaps more than any other contemporary elder, has captured the minds and hearts of Greek people. Many books of his counsels have been published, and the monastery at Souroti has undertaken a great work, organizing the Elders writings and counsels into impressive volumes befitting his memory. Thousands of pilgrims visit his grave each year, so as to receive his blessing.


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Flinn, Paul | |
Campbell, James - Jim |
Submitted to: Environmental Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 10/2/2012 Publication Date: 12/17/2012 Citation: Flinn, P.W., Campbell, J.F. 2012. Effects of flour conditioning on cannibalism of T. castaneum eggs and pupae. Environmental Entomology. 41(6): 1501-1504. http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/EN12222. Interpretive Summary: The red flour beetle is a serious pest of flour mills and stored grain. Cannibalism by adult and larval red flour beetles of eggs and pupae can have important implications in population regulation. As the red flour beetles develop, the flour becomes conditioned. This is due to an accumulation of beetle feces, chemicals produced by the beetles, and nutritional depletion of the flour. There is a need to understand how different levels of flour conditioning affect the rate of cannibalism of the red flour beetle. We found that larvae had the highest rates of egg and pupal cannibalism, followed by adult females. Adult males had the lowest rates of cannibalism. Cannibalism of eggs by female adults was highest in fresh flour, and decreased with the amount of flour conditioning. The level of flour conditioning had no affect on rates of cannibalism by larvae or adult males. These results will enable scientists to develop an improved computer model for the red flour beetle, which can be used to predict insect outbreaks and develop better insect pest management recommendations. Technical Abstract: Cannibalism is a very important factor regulating population dynamics of the red flour beetle. After several days of feeding, the flour becomes conditioned by the beetles, which can affect rates of cannibalism. Flour conditioning is caused by an accumulation of feces, pheromones, and ethylquinone, which is a repellent produced by the beetles. We determined the effect of five different levels of flour conditioning on cannibalism of red flour beetle eggs and pupae by adult and larval stages. Larvae had the highest rates of egg cannibalism (12 eggs eaten over the 4-day period) followed by female adults (7 eggs consumed). Adult males had the lowest rates of cannibalism with only 2 eggs consumed. Cannibalism of eggs by females was negatively correlated with the level of flour conditioning. There was no effect of flour conditioning on egg or pupal cannibalism by larvae or adult males. Cannibalism by adult females may decrease as the level of flour conditioning increases because females may spend less time tunneling in highly conditioned flour and more time trying to disperse to other areas that are better for oviposition. |


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With Medicaid expansion left up to the states, the Congressional Budget Office said that 6 million Americans could lose out on coverage.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The Supreme Court's health reform ruling could leave 6 million Americans out of the expansion of Medicaid set to begin in 2014, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday.
The CBO now estimates that 7 million uninsured will be covered through the expansion, down from its prior estimate of 13 million.
Health reform has a number of provisions aimed at reducing the ranks of the uninsured -- Medicaid's expansion is one of the most controversial.
Of the 6 million who lose out on the expansion, 2 million will get subsidized coverage through the new insurance exchanges that will be established by health care reform, according to the CBO.
Under the law, all adults with incomes at or below 133% of the federal poverty level will be eligible for insurance coverage under Medicaid.
But the Supreme Court, while upholding the Affordable Care Act, said last month that states can opt out of the Medicaid expansion without any threat of losing other federal funding for the program.
The CBO, explaining its new estimate, said it now expects that some states won't expand their programs at all.
The estimated net cost of the expansion also came down, to $1.2 trillion between 2012 and 2022 from $1.3 trillion, since fewer people on Medicaid means lower costs to government.
The federal government will pick up the total cost of the expansion for the first three years, after which the funding will phase down to 90%.
Many poor adults who are not eligible for Medicaid under the current system but would have qualified under the expansion are waiting to see if their states will participate in Medicaid expansion.
The health care law, enacted in 2010, is one of President Obama's signature policy changes. His Republican rival, Mitt Romney, says he would push for its repeal.
Officials in 26 states challenged the Medicaid provision in court. And a number of governors have said since the Supreme Court ruling that they would not participate.
For example, Republican Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin has said his state won't move ahead on health reform until after the November election.
In states that opt out, the federal government will help cover the cost of buying private insurance for residents who are just above the poverty line. But those below the poverty line aren't eligible for these subsidies.
Roughly 62 million people are now covered by Medicaid, which has become increasingly costly for states.
And though Washington will pick up much of the tab of the Medicaid expansion, having to foot even 10% of the bill may be too big a burden for cash-strapped states.
"You hear many people saying, 'This is a great deal. Why would you pass it up,' said Andrea Maresca, director of foreign policy and strategy at the National Association of Medicaid Directors. "But there was a major shift in what the statute meant and you can't expect elected officials to make an immediate decision overnight."
Despite the heated political rhetoric surrounding the expansion, Maresca said that she expects many states to phase in some version of the expansion, even if it's not by the time that the federal government rolls out the program in 2014.
"You have to separate out the policy decisions and the politics that are playing into a lot of statements being made," she said. "Not every state immediately jumped on board with some very popular decisions that they have in place now."
In a separate report Tuesday, the CBO said a House Republican bill to repeal the health reform law entirely would increase deficits by $109 billion over 10 years. The bill passed the House last week but is not expected to get through the Senate.
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FRANKFORT, Ky. – A new regulation allows hunters to use lights to hunt coyotes at night in Kentucky from Feb. 1 through May 31 in permissible areas.
Hunters may take coyotes either during the day or at night year-round in Kentucky. However, lights may only be used at night during the upcoming season.
Hunters should be aware of the different regulations which apply to coyote hunting during the day or the night.
During the day, coyote hunters may use shotguns, rifles, bows, crossbows or air guns with a minimum size of .22 caliber. At night, however, the only firearm a hunter may use is a shotgun. Night hunters must use shells which contain more than one projectile.
Several federal areas are closed to night coyote hunting. These include Land Between The Lakes in western Kentucky; Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in southeastern Kentucky; and the Daniel Boone National Forest in eastern Kentucky.
The Boone forest closure includes certain properties owned by the federal government but managed by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. These include Beaver Creek, Cane Creek, Redbird, Mill Creek and Pioneer Weapons wildlife management areas (WMAs).
Other federal areas closed to night coyote hunting include Clark's River National Wildlife Refuge in Marshall, McCracken and Graves counties; Jefferson National Forest in Letcher and Pike counties; and Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge in Fulton County. Hunters should verify with landowners any property they wish to hunt coyotes at night.
State-owned WMAs are open for night coyote hunting. Night hunting of coyotes is allowed on private and other properties with the permission of the landowner, as long as there are no local ordinances prohibiting the discharge of firearms in the area.
Hunters may not spotlight and shoot coyotes from a vehicle. People may not use a vehicle's headlights or a light plugged into a vehicle for hunting. Lights that are used for hunting may be any color.
Regulations allow hunters to use decoys, mouth calls and electronic calls to lure coyotes. Unless license exempt, hunters must have a valid hunting license to take coyotes.


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• agog •
Pronunciation: ah-gahg • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: 1. Excited, stirred up, thrilled. 2. Taken aback, wide-eyed with surprise.
Notes: Today's is a word many of us use without knowing exactly what it means. All the dictionaries claim that it means only "excited" as we have stated above. Its meaning is sliding a bit off center, however, as will be mentioned in the Word History below. It is a defective adjective in that it may be used only in the predicate of a sentence (She was agog) and never before a noun (the agog girl), like other adjectives beginning on a-: asleep, afloat, adrift.
In Play: Because the two meanings of today's Good Word are so close, they often blend together, giving us a complex palimpsest of meanings: "The children were agog at all the presents and goodies under the Christmas tree." However, visual surprise is not necessarily a part of the meaning of today's Good Word: "Maud Lynn Dresser was agog at the prospect of the spring cotillion, which was now only a week away."
Word History: Today's Good Word comes from the French expression à gogo "galore" as in vivre à gogo "to live high on the hog". It came from the Old French expression en gogues "frolicsome, mirthsome, in a festive mood". However, the association of the sound of this word with words associated with staring (to goggle, go goo-goo eyed, gongoozle, ogle) has led it to be used more and more in reference to seeing something surprising. French à gogo probably influenced English go-go as in the go-go dancers of the 60s. However, this word originated in the expression go-go-go, meaning always on the move, as to be a go-go-go girl all the time. (Katy Brezger certainly leaves us agog at the intriguing Good Words, like today's, which she recommends.)
P.S. - Register for the Daily Good Word E-Mail! - You can get our daily Good Word sent directly to you via e-mail in either HTML or Text format. Go to our Registration Page to sign up today!


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* Book: Water Governance for 21st Century. Lessons from Water Trading in the U.S. and Australia. by Shiney Varghese. Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, 2013.
Excerpted from a review by Ana Micka:
"Water Governance for 21st Century, by Shiney Varghese at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, makes a compelling case urging advcates and policy makers to advance an approach combining the commons framework and the Public Trust Doctrine principles. Shiney notes that the tendency of recent trends to rely on market and rights–based policies has exaccerbated the failures in water governance. These approaches do not "solve problems such as poor management, existing over-allocation or failing water governance."
Solutions that commodify water and name it as an economic good often result in the transfer of water from small-scale livelihood farming, rightful Indigenous uses, and ecological needs to uses with a higher dollar value, such as irrigated commodity farming. These approaches also represent further enclosure of water, moving us away from protecting water as a commons and instead facilitating private gain from transactions of this inherited resource and publicly built infrastructure.
Varghese uses specific examples to clearly demonstrate how better and more equitable outcomes are possible if communities and countries combine commons principles with Public Trust Doctrine. Together, these frameworks ensure that water is "available first and foremost for public purposes" and place the responsibility to the water and the future squarely with community, not with multi-national corporations and global financial institutions.
Elinor Ostrom, a Nobel Laureate and commons researcher powerfully sums up this shift: "Designing institutions to force entirely self-interested individuals to achieve better outcomes has been the major goal posited by policy analysts for much of the past half century. Extensive empirical research leads me to argue that instead, a core goal of public policy should be to facilitate the development of institutions that bring out the best in humans…the innovativeness, learning, adapting, trustworthiness, levels of cooperation of participants and the achievement of more effective, equitable and sustainable outcomes at multiple scales." So, states Varghese, "Public policy rooted in cooperation and mutual responsibility, instead of competition, would help address the ongoing crisis in shared commons such as water."


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© 2024 MJH Life Sciences™ and BioPharm International. All rights reserved.
Evolving clinical trial research services give biopharmaceutical companies options for full- and functional-services.
Biopharmaceutical companies are facing increased research costs, along with the ongoing complexity of global regulations and market conditions. All of these variables create a diverse set of needs for biopharmaceutical research portfolios, which, in turn, create a wide range of needs in the outsourcing market. Adding to the complexity is the fact that biopharma companies have a multitude of choices in outsourcing partners and nearly as many options for contracting methods; there is truly no one-size-fits-all scenario for meeting their needs.
In some cases, the sponsor requires full-service outsourcing, in which the partner company takes full ownership of the trial deliverables. In other cases, sponsors are seeking enterprise scale on a functional level, while some simply need specific staffing solutions to meet global capacity requirements. The answer is an integrated outsourcing solution that encompasses the necessary legal, contracting, and execution expertise that enable biopharma companies to successfully meet business objectives. In this article, the authors discuss how the successful integration of the appropriate expertise can help drug sponsors maximize the value of their research investments.
The Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development reported in 2010 that spending on new drug development was growing at a rate of 9.1% while global spending on contract clinical services was growing almost at 13.4% (1). As drug development costs have continued to increase, there has been additional pressure placed on improving R&D performance.
This improvement has been accomplished by focusing on drug development efficiency and/or by implementing new strategic partnerships and alliances (2). Both models are expected to experience continued growth (3).
As the marketplace has evolved, two primary outsourcing types have emerged (see Figure 1). The first is full-service outsourcing with an increasing trend toward alliances, in which a CRO typically is contracted to deliver all services required to execute a clinical trial and/or a portfolio of trials. The alliance model may be asset or therapeutically aligned. This method of engagement and, more importantly, contracting is focused at a trial, program, or asset level. This outsourcing method typically adheres to a unitized or milestone-based contract. However, the underlying construct is ultimately payment based upon the number of hours worked. This time-tested form of outsourcing has both advantages and disadvantages.
The second type, functional service provider (FSP)-based outsourcing, is not a new method of outsourcing, but it does not carry the same level of maturity and understanding within the broader market when compared to full service outsourcing. In many cases, FSP contracting includes large-scale contracts focused on a given functional service, such as data management, biostatistics, programming, and even monitoring. In this model, teams work across clinical trials in an effort to maintain functional consistency--both from a process and resource standpoint--to ultimately reduce the cost of delivery. Contractual structures for FSPs span from full-time equivalent (FTE) and dedicated capacity models to service-oriented, outputs-based contracting. It is here, in this evolving focus on outputs-based contracting, that will prove a significant value to the industry in driving increased innovation and aligning shared goals.
Several trends are emerging within both models:
Although it is difficult to determine the future outlook, this article addresses a potential outsourcing model that integrates FSP and full-service outsourcing, while depending less and less on FTE models. The rationale to send trials to a full-service or functional-service provider may differ from company to company based on internal needs and core competencies. However, by leveraging both models, companies are able to maximize spend, time, and quality across a given portfolio.
Benefits and challenges in each model
Full- and functional-service models both carry unique sets of benefits and challenges that must be considered when a company pursues an FSP relationship. These benefits and challenges include the main drivers to the supply; management of resources; alignment to the core vision; accountability; and agreed standards, processes, and technology (4). These specific advantages and limitations are cornerstone to the belief that the model carrying the greatest benefit is a fully intertwined combination of the two.
As an advantage, full-service outsourcing is mature, well understood, easily deployable, and simple to contract. Most pharmaceutical companies and CROs enjoy a thorough understanding of contract terms and approach to the financials. Many, if not all, full-service models are built on an hours-/role-based assessment of what it will take to complete a trial. Another important benefit of this model is that it often allows the CRO to leverage its own systems and processes to execute the trial in an expedited fashion. The more services a CRO can execute, the more streamlined its internal operations. If the CRO is performing all services in a clinical trial, it can align its staff, processes and technologies to more efficiently execute the trial..
This full-service model offers lower risks from a contracting perspective, but it presents challenges with how bio/pharmaceutical companies perceive oversight and execution risk management. Another challenge with the full-service model is significant inefficiencies within the execution of a trial may occur due to a duplication of roles (i.e., both parties are providing oversight and direction when only one should). This lack of definition within the model often proves to be a significant challenge. Additionally, defining scope and ownership tend to be a challenge. That challenge can be due to a lack of understanding between parties or simply based on the nature of executing a complicated global trial. These scope variations ultimately may drive contract modifications and costs overruns.
A functional-service model may offer significant cost and efficiency opportunities by connecting a single functional contract to a high volume of work. Simply put, companies provide vendors an opportunity to streamline and innovate around a core set of tasks. These models also can offer contracting terms aligning delivery with the service and not to time or effort. Essentially, the company pays for the functional output and is not concerned with the hours or tasks necessary to reach that goal. Although subtle, this shift in contracting is crucial for CROs that continue to seek new and innovative ways to execute trials with increased efficiency and quality at a reduced cost to clients. One challenge in this environment is the potential for an increase in oversight requirements. Based on the structure of the contract, the added oversight sometimes can offset the potential savings. Additionally, expectations aligned with full-service oversight in an FSP environment can prove to be the limiting factor in the success of an FSP deployment. The functional model requires a full understanding of the scope and roles by both parties prior to contractual execution.
In the two models, a key consideration is contracting and how to leverage that vehicle to improve efficiencies and drive innovation. In either case, we see the separation of hours and services delivered as a key component to driving the biopharmaceutical industry forward. In termed incentive-based contracting, the alignment of each contracting party's goals through the contract payment vehicle is a significant move. Essentially, the industry needs to transition from focusing on hours and tasks to emphasizing the more important factors of cost and value.
For example, when using a simplistic contract unit for payment that encourages productivity and quality, both parties can build the structure of their relationship around common goals and shared incentives. When executed correctly, these units are more easily managed and operationalized, and they eliminate the need for a risk/reward component, as it is inherently built into the currency of the unit.
An example of this would be a study start-up FSP contract that establishes payments will be made to the vendor when a site is ready to receive the investigational product (IP). The currency in this case would be a site status of IP shipment eligible (IPSE), which would require all essential regulatory documents to be properly collected; ethics committee/ministry of health approvals in place; and a contract executed with the site. Productivity and quality are encouraged in this model since the CRO's profitability hinges on its ability to perform efficiently, with no need for re-work due to quality issues. If start up is protracted, then the CRO's profitability suffers due to extended timelines, additional efforts and over-burn. For the biopharmaceutical company, this represents a simplistic, single-payment option based on the status of when the site is ready to participate in the trial. Plus, it incentivizes process optimization and quality performance by the CRO.
What is the optimal model?
Often, in interactions with biopharmaceutical companies, there is a primary focus on one model or the other. Essentially, company X deploys a full-service outsourcing strategy and company Y capitalizes on functional services. As depicted by Figure 2, the most successful outsourcing strategies leverage both models to help manage the diverse needs of their trial portfolios.
There are several clear advantages to this combined strategy. Centralized governance saves time and oversight hours. These models also benefit from a single view across a portfolio and allow companies to adjust accordingly.
FSP can offer a cost savings when the oversight and blend of resourcing is correct, while full service can deliver critical compounds more efficiently. Combined, a company can maximize investments in both time and operations based on the needs of the portfolio. This includes strategies that take advantage of the global marketplace in order to hire and retain talented workers. The availability of global talent has improved as clinical trials have moved into new and emerging marketplaces over the past decade (5).
One size simply does not fit all. Successful companies employ a flexible strategy and engage vendors who can offer a blend of solutions.
So, is FSP or full service the best contracting method for a biopharma company's needs? The answer may very well be both. Each model has its own unique advantages and challenges. When executed correctly, a combined outsourcing strategy that deploys both can yield the best of each. The most successful companies focus on internal core competencies and retain internal expertise for those competencies. From there, they identify the service(s) that would benefit most from large-scale functional outsourcing and those that would benefit from full service. The answers will vary based on the core competencies and capacity needs of each organization. Once a decision tree is built, the company can work within a network of vendors that offers the flexibility to maximize returns both financially and operationally.
1. Estimates for Global Demand for Clinical Services Outsourcing, Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, Outlook 2010. (January 2010).
2. R&D Trends. Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development. Outlook 2014. (January 2014).
3. Clinical Development Outsourcing Dynamics. ISR Reports. Clinical Development Outsourcing Models. (October 2013).
4. A. S. Townshend and P. Carberry, Contract Pharma, 15 (2) (2013). 5. KI Katin, Pharm Outsourcing. 11(3) (2010).


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Kenneth Hagin and "Positive Confession"
By: Dave Hunt; ©2000 |
Dave Hunt explains why the "positive confession" teaching so prevalent among some groups today has brought a form of New Age teaching inside the Christian Church. |
Kenneth Hagin and "Positive Confession"
(from Occult Invasion, Harvest House, 1998)
Among charismatics, the largest churches and the most popular ministers on radio and TV tend to be those associated with what is known as "Positive Confession," or the "Faith movement." Positive Confession is simply Norman Vincent Peale's Positive Thinking carried one step further: expressing the thoughts aloud. Kenneth Hagin is generally credited with founding this latter movement, and his teachings have an authority among his followers almost equal to that of Mary Baker Eddy among hers.
Frederick K. C. Price says: "Kenneth Hagin has had the greatest influence upon my life of any living man… his books … revolutionized and changed my life." Charles Capps gives a similar testimony: "Brother Hagin was the greatest influence of my life."[1] Kenneth Copeland credits Hagin's tapes with having revolutionized his ministry.[2]
Kenneth Hagin's gospel can be traced back to the writings of E.W. Kenyon, who first taught "the positive confession of the Word of God"[3] and must be recognized as the real founder of today's Positive Confession movement. Kenyon studied at the Emerson College of Oratory in Boston, a hotbed of the emerging New Thought philosophy.[4] Kenyon's teaching about "the power of words" and his warnings never to make a "negative confession"[5] deeply influenced Hagin and many others who are recognized today as leaders of this movement. Kenyon also taught that man is a little god "in God's Class" and therefore can use the same faith-force that God does.[6] We allegedly create our own reality with the words of our mouths: "What I confess, I possess."[7]
Hagin complains that people often think he is teaching Christian Science. He claims he is not, yet he teaches that the power of God works according to laws. Science is based upon laws. Thus, if what Hagin teaches about God's power being governed by laws is indeed "Christian," then it must be "Christian Science."
"Positive Confession" means to verbalize positive thought and speak it aloud—precisely what shamans have believed and practiced for thousands of years in all cultures. The connection with the Positive/Possibility Thinking taught by Peale and Schuller is acknowledged by Kenneth Hagin, Jr.:
- Somebody will argue, "You're talking about positive thinking!" That's right! I am acquainted with the greatest Positive Thinker who ever was: God…!
- The two most prominent teachers of positive thinking [Peale and Schuller] are ministers.[8]
The entire "Faith movement" rests upon the occult belief that "faith is a force just like electricity or gravity"[9] which obeys laws, and thus even non-Christians can use it. David Yonggi Cho, pastor of the world's largest church, located in Seoul, Korea, declares: "Think positively and prosper." Cho's brand of Christian Science is based upon "the law of the fourth dimension," a law which both Christians and non-Christians can follow in order to create miracles. He says, "Sokagakkai [a Buddhist sect] has applied the law of the fourth dimension and has performed miracles… ."[10] The Sokagakkai are occultists.
The Wall Street Journal observed that Cho's Christianity has elements of Korean shamanism in it.[11] Kenneth Hagin also acknowledges that his variety of Christian science (as must be the case with any science) likewise allows non-Christians to obtain miracles by scientifically applying its laws. Hagin writes:
- It used to bother me when I'd see unsaved people getting results [miracles], but my church members not getting results. Then it dawned on me what the sinners were doing: They were cooperating with this law of God—the law of faith.[12]
A "Law of Miracles"?
The blessings of God's natural order (sun, rain, etc.) fall "on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45). His miracles, however, are special blessings of His grace which are reserved for those who know and love Him. God will not extend His grace and blessing to those who reject Him. The "laws of faith," however, according to the Positive Confession leaders, work for anyone, saint or sinner, just like the laws of science.
The teaching that non-Christians can create miracles by following "God's laws of faith" or the "laws of the fourth dimension" is a serious heresy. Tragically, this tempting lie opens the door into the occult, where evil spirits gladly respond with a seeming "miracle" in order to deceive and seduce the unsuspecting into further delusions.
Charismatic leaders who imagine they have discovered laws of faith are promoting a Christianized version of naturalism. Their "God" is not the transcendent Creator who exists outside of the physical universe which He created out of nothing (as Sir James Jeans argues must be the case). The "faith God" is tied to this physical universe and bound by its laws. John and Paula Sandford, well-known practitioners of "inner healing," profess this irrational heresy as clearly as anyone:
- Miracles happen by the cooperation, union, and interplay of spirit and matter together…. Confused… men have thought… there had to be a violation of principles for miracles to happen…. What rot and bunk! Miracles happen by releasing power within matter according to God's principles….
- Nature, being filled with the Spirit of God, has immeasurable power, locked within its tiniest cells…. Miracles happen by the operation of the Holy Spirit within principles far beyond our ability to comprehend but nonetheless scientific….
- I have sometimes been called a Christian Scientist when lecturing on these subjects….[13]
The Charismatic's "Mary Baker Eddy"
The Sandfords studied under Agnes Sanford, the charismatic's Mary Baker Eddy. She is the founder of the Inner Healing movement in the church. Her serious heresies are too numerous to recite here, yet she remains highly honored in the evangelical church to this day. John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard movement, enthusiastically promoted her books until his recent death. Much like Norman Vincent Peale, Sanford calls God "the very life-force existing in a radiation of an energy… from which all things evolved."[14] She declares that "God… made everything out of Himself and somehow He put a part of Himself into everything."[15] This is pantheism.
To substantiate such heresies, Sanford cites Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin as her authority. Declared a heretic even by the Roman Catholic Church, Chardin was known as the father of the New Age movement. Sanford taught that the "God-force" can be turned on in one's life by simply saying to it, "Whoever you are—whatever you are—come into me now!" What a great invitation to Satan! The true God, who identifies Himself clearly in Scripture and must be known and acknowledged for who He is, would not answer such a call—but Satan and his minions, who hide behind any mask, would gladly accept that invitation.
Bringing occultism into the church, Sanford taught that everything is a matter of thought vibrations which if "negative" make us ill, and if "positive" heal us. Indeed, "positive thought vibrations" projected upon sinners can even turn them into Christians. Sanford wrote, "A new age is being born… when love-power [projected] at the command of ministers [and others] is sufficient to change hearts… we [have] an inner source of power that can be tapped at will."[16]
- ↑ Taped interviews on file at the Holy Spirit Research Center, Oral Roberts University cited in Daniel Ray McConnell, The Kenyon Connection: A Theological and Historical Analysis of the Cultic Origins of the Faith Movement a thesis submitted to the Theological Faculty Oral Roberts University Tulsa, OK, May1982, p. 11.
- ↑ McConnell, Kenyon Connection, p. 11.
- ↑ E.W. Kenyon and Don Cossett, The Positive Confession of the Word of God (Tulsa: Custom Graphics, 1981), pp.133-37, 152-55.
- ↑ John Coffee and Richard L. Wentworth, A Century of Eloquence: The History of Emerson College, 1880-1980 (Alternative Publications, 1982).
- ↑ Kenyon and Gossett, Confession, pp. 129-36, 152-55, 182-85, etc.
- ↑ E.W. Kenyon, what Happened from the Cross to the Throne? (Kenyon, 1945, 5th ed.), pp. 62, 173-76.
- ↑ E.W. Kenyon, The Hidden Man: An Unveiling of the Subconscious Mind (Kenyon, 1970), p. 98.
- ↑ The Word of Faith magazine, November 1984, p. 3.
- ↑ Kenneth Copeland on TBN interview with Paul and Jan Crouch, February 5, 1986.
- ↑ Dr. David Yonggi Cho, The Fourth Dimension (Bridge-Logos International, 1979), pp. 30, 64.
- ↑ Urban C. Lehner, "New Faithful: Static in Some Nations, Christianity is Surging Among South Koreans," in The Wall Street Journal , May 12, 1983.
- ↑ Kenneth Hagin, Having Faith in Your Faith (Rhema, 1980), pp. 3-4.
- ↑ John and Paula Sandford, The Elijah Task (Logos International, 1977), pp. 142-3.
- ↑ Agnes Sanford, The Heating Gifts of the Spint (Fleming H. Revell, 1966), p. 22.
- ↑ Ibid., p. 27.
- ↑ The Healing Light, 1947 edition, pp. 21-22, 60, 75.


text:
ForumsQuestionsKeep Folders When Assigning/Reassigning, PLease
Keep Folders When Assigning/Reassigning, PLease
Author | Message |
kleerkoat |
A long time ago I brought this up.
If I reassign a task to a coworker, and mine is in a folder called "Project X", why when it gets to the collaborater it comes in without a folder, even when the person has a folder called "Project X". Then when they reassign it back to me, it's lost "Project X" all together? Should we use context or tags instead of Folders? What can we do? Thanks. |
Anders |
I know that contexts are not retained when reassigning in the same way folder-associations are lost. I believe tags may be retained, so that might be the way to go.
Jake Toodledo Founder |
Folders, contexts and goals are not transferred when reassigning a task. Even though they may have the same name, the system still tracks them as separate folders. We hope to fix this in a future update. In the meantime, tags will work.
kleerkoat |
ok, thank you for the workaround.
i know there are a lot of requests on your plate, but I imagine this would be a pretty popular one. It probably makes it even worse when you have such an open system for us users to enter tasks, that some use folders when they should use tags, etc. |
kleerkoat |
I just started using contexts as the name of the person submitting an ECO, this not transfering on an, assign, reassign like you already mentioned.
Why do tags transfer and these don't? These two issues break collaboration in my opinion, and make it more of a hassle than a good working feature. |
Anders |
I believe that folders and contexts are not retained because they work a little differently than tags. Tags can be anything, and it doesn't matter if you have previously used that tag or not. With Contexts and Folders, each account has it's own list that must be managed independently of the tasks (you can't add a new folder or context when creating a new task). This doesn't change the fact that it would help for collaboration if those fields could be kept, but I believe it is why they are not. Tags are pretty flexible, and until there is an improvement in context or folder retention, you can probably find a way to do it with them, or in the notes field just write context=whoever, etc. It isn't ideal, but then whoever receives the task could actually set it as a context after getting it.
HansD |
Just my 2 cts - the toodledo setup is quite personal, so for me it is obvious that folders and contexts are not shared. Your @work might be my @onsite etc. If I allow you to set these values for me, it might result in me not trusting my system anymore.
however, the concept of a shared folder might be usefull indeed, or the system indicating what the original values where (where you can easily take these as input) |
Jake Toodledo Founder |
There are three reasons why folders and contexts do not transfer when reassigning a task.
1) Like HansD said, if someone's "work" context was your "onsite" context. When it got reassigned to you, it might be located in the wrong context which could make you miss it. 2) If you had a private folder called "Project" and a collaborator had a public folder called "Project", they would be able to reassign a task to your private folder, which you wouldn't want. 3) Small spelling differences would cause Toodledo to be unable to match up folders. "Project A" and "Project-A" would be different. Of course, we could resolve most of these issues by having some sort of configuration page where you could manually link up a collaborator's folders and contexts with your folders and context, but this seems cumbersome and we are trying to come up with a better option. |
kleerkoat |
OK, now I can see the problems this can cause.
However, respectfully, I think you are both assuming that the person assigning the task and the person receiving the task are not collaborating at all to begin with. Context I can understand, traditionally they are used for the location at which the task needs to be done. When I sign up a new account for a person in house, I make them the same 4 folders that I have, each one representing one of the product lines our company makes, make each one sharable between everyone. I also make one more called Personal and mark it as private. In this environment, when everyone has the same Folders setup, some of the reasons for not being able to do it aren't a problem anymore. I do the same thing for contexts now that I am using that as a field to enter the person requesting a drawing so people that aren't using Toodledo can use my public viewing page and sort by their name to check on the status of their request. Now if all the collaborators in the company have the same folder names, same contexts, why can't their be a check to see when a task is assigned or reassigned if the person has a folder or context with the same value and set it when it comes to them so it follows from person to person. I'm sure it is much more complicated on the backend than I perceive. But it also still makes me question why can't it wok in a situation like I described above. |
Anders |
Posted by Ryan:
OK, now I can see the problems this can cause. However, respectfully, I think you are both assuming that the person assigning the task and the person receiving the task are not collaborating at all to begin with. I would guess the issue was more that when Toodledo started working collaboration into the website, they had to go one way or the other, keep the fields or drop them. I agree that for people working closely together, it probably wouldn't be difficult to ensure that all Folder and Context names are identical. However, for many people who are not in that situation, it might have caused problems. It may be that Toodledo just opted for the safer route. The private folder issue seems like a legitimate concern as well. Whatever the case, it appears Toodledo is working on finding a solution for this issue, and I absolutely agree that when they create one, it will be dramatic improvement to the collaboration features. Context I can understand, traditionally they are used for the location at which the task needs to be done. This seems to be a hotly contended issue. My contexts are more like resources needed to complete certain types of tasks. I have read that this is more in line with the by-the-book approach, but I am no GTD guru, and I am really not worried about it. I just do what works for me. :) |
HansD |
context can be anything, depends on your state of mind, if you read the gtd book and how your interpreted it. For me it is a combo of what i need and where it is (and sometime only one of them).
If you work closely together I can imaging you can have some synce/linked contexts and/or folders. even then, I would prefer to receive the stuff via my inbox so I can process it when and how I want. An action that is clear for one might be to high level for another. (what is your definition of task?) I'm a consultant and collaborate with a lot of people. But their @work could be my @onsite (and thus refer to the same) |
Anders |
Good stuff, HansD. You seem like a bit of a philosopher if I may say so. Now I will be pondering the definition of task all night.
I have not read the book yet, but it's on my To Do list. Although, by the time I read it, there may be nothing I haven't heard before thanks to the many knowledgeable folks who share their insights into the system. |
kleerkoat |
Posted by HansD:
I would prefer to receive the stuff via my inbox so I can process it when and how I want. An action that is clear for one might be to high level for another. (what is your definition of task?) Inbox? Hmm, what is that, I can't seem to find it? How do you use it? I see your point, and assume that your question about what my definition of a task as being rhetorical. Everyone has their own way of interpreting GTD, and even without reading the book, generate their own system of organizing. I'll answer the question anyway, so maybe you can help me workaround this, because, like I said before, if I assign a task and it doesn't go into the same folder as the recepient, it isn't really collaboration, and am always afraid that the person will miss it so after assigning the task, I got into theirs and change the "no folder" to match whatever folder it is in mine. I work in the CAD/Engineering department, so tasks for me are ECO's and RFD's, which are turned into me via a printed out PDF form. Each of my folders are filing areas for whatever productline the ECO/RFD is for. If it's for our product "XYZ Filler Stuff" it goes in that folder. If it's an ECO/RFD for "ABC Product Stuff", it goes into it. I realize that it's on the Dev's radar and I don't want to beat a dead horse because I could go on for hours pleading my case. But if it's something that is a flaw in "my" organizing system I'd like to know how to correct it. Thanks for the replies, it's helped relieve the frustration of why it doesn't behave like I think it should. |
HansD |
My inbox is quite virtual. For toodledo, it is made up of the tasks without folder/context, otherwise it's my email box etc from where I create my todos in toodledo. It's how I can easy distinguish tasks that I need to integrate into my own system.
In case of collaboration, it could be some other status or so in case of shared folders/contacts. And yes, it was rhetorical (Anders, did you get some sleep at last?). Did you also talk with your coworkers about this? I can only write about my personal situation, and it could be perfectly ok how you think it should be in your case. |
Anders |
Not much HansD, but I'm that much closer to knowing what a task truly is. :)
I have not discussed it with my coworkers but I'm not sure who they are. I'm a student and a researcher, so I suppose my research associates/collaborators. I have been planning on promoting Toodledo in my lab. If I could get everyone to sign up for Pro Plus, it would certainly simplify the overwhelming exchange of PDFs relating to different projects. |
kleerkoat |
I just realized that when I create a task I have the ability to set the folder that it will go in on my collaborator's list.
So there must be a link there already? If I can see their folders, and assign the folder only when creating the task, why not when reassigning? |
Jake Toodledo Founder |
Thats because when you are adding a task, you fill in all the information ahead of time and then press the "Add" button when everything is ready, so you have the chance to select the folder from a list of your collaborator's folders.
When reassigning a task, you select the person from the drop down menu, and then task is immediately reassigned, so you don't have the chance to change the folder from one of yours to one of theirs. In order for this to work, reassigning a task would need to become a two step process. You would first push the "reassign" button, and then Toodledo would need to popup another window and ask you to select the new folder/context/goal. We may do this in a future update. |
kleerkoat |
That sounds like a brilliant plan!
I know some would complain about the popup but, please don't listen to them! ;-) I really hope you implement this. |
tbaker |
Hey all,
I know this is an older thread, but figured I'd drag it up again. I've been using Toodledo for about a year, and just got a co-worker I work closely with on it. Both of our methods for using folders are the same, though like the examples provided above, spelling and notation of listing the Customers names for the folders vary a little bit. All in all, I'd love to see a Folders/Contexts Mapping per Collaborator basis. I can envision a link and a page where My folders are listed, and it gives me an opportunity to select a folder from my collaborators list that is it's counterpart. Doing this would give everyone here the ability to customize how it works. In HansD's example stated above where @work would match his @onsite, he could configure this specifically with this collaborator. |
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12 Month - Soap of the Month Club - 1 BAR
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text:
Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
Call the customer service line at 888-622-7328. The number can be located on the back of your card. Any remaining balance at the end of the month is rolled over into the next month.
Show All Answers
If you are unable to come into the office, you can appoint someone you trust to represent you in the office or an application can be taken over the phone. You can also download an application (PDF) and mail it in.
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You can call customer service at 888-622-7328. A recorded message with instructions will ask you to enter the card number, then your social security number then 4 digits to be used as your pin number (your choice). At this time, the procedure for individuals without a social security number is to use their birth date. It is recommended that at least temporarily, those without socials should come in and activate the card in the DSS office.
f you have additional questions or problems, just bring your EBT card and some form of identification (a picture I.D. is preferred) to our office. You will receive training on how to use your EBT card and you must have a personal identification number (PIN) to activate your card. After your training class we will assist you in activating your card.
The toll free number is 888-622-7328 and they are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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Your caseworker will review what changes are required to be reported when you apply.
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Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler are back together again.
The Chicago Bearswill send two third-round draft picks to the Miami Dolphins in a blockbuster trade for Marshall, Fox Sports insider and NFL Network contributor Jay Glazer first reported Tuesday. The deal will reunite the wide receiver and the quarterback, both of whom began their careers with the Denver Broncos.
Debate: Marshall trade reactions
The Bears made waves by getting Brandon Marshall in a deal with the Dolphins. What does it mean for each team? Let's debate! **More ...**
Marshall and Cutler first played together in 2006. The partnership helped Marshall make the Pro Bowl in 2008, when he totaled 104 receptions for 1,265 yards with six touchdowns.
"Jay Cutler and Jeremy Bates makes it great," Marshall's agent, Kennard McGuire, wrote in a text message.
Cutler tweeted his own excitement later: "Told you we could get that #15 out of storage. Getting the band back together! Good to have #15 back."
Dolphins running back Reggie Bush and center Mike Pouncey took to Twitter to express their fondness for Marshall.
"Hate to see my boy B Marshall go," Bush tweeted.
Added Pouncey: "Brandon Marshall out of Miami? Tell me this ain't true..."
Bears linebacker Lance Briggs called it "a great day" on Twitter, with Chicago also agreeing to a two-year deal to retain cornerback Tim Jennings and a with quarterback Jason Campbell.
Marshall's acquisition was barely being digested in Chicago and Miami when reports emerged late Tuesday that the often-troubled receiver was allegedly involved in a melee at a New York nightclub over the weekend. The New York Post reported that a woman told police that Marshall struck her in the face. Marshall's attorney released a statement alleging that Marshall was trying to take his wife to the hospital after she was hit in the face by a bottle. It wasn't clear whether or not the Bears knew of the incident when they agreed to the trade.
Marshall was shipped to the Dolphins from the Broncos on April 14, 2010 for second-round picks in the 2010 and 2011 drafts. The Broncos used their 2010 pick as part of a package in a draft-day trade with the Baltimore Ravens in order to move up and select quarterback Tim Tebow with the 25th overall selection.
Playing with quarterback Chad Henne and Matt Moore, Marshall made the Pro Bowl after finishing the 2011 season with 81 catches for 1,214 yards with six touchdowns. The Bears' leading receiver this past season was Johnny Knox with 37 receptions for 727 yards and two touchdowns.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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Fan Filters
What is it?
A fan filter is an accessory that is used with fans and blowers. A typical assembly is made up of four parts, the outer cover or frame, filter pad, mesh screen and finger guard.
What does it do?
A fan filter is primarily designed to remove any dust or small particles from the airflow of the fan. It helps with the free movement of air and also helps protect the fan from any internal damage.
Fans and fan filters are used in every industry where heat is generated and the machinery or components around it must be kept cool. Some of the most common are;
Electrical control cabinets
Data cabinets
CNC and Welding machines
Office equipment, projectors, laptops,
Server racks
Fan filters available in various shapes, styles, sizes and materials. The selection of a fan filter depends on the size and type of fan and environment it is to be used. Some of the attributes that must be considered are;
Frame size
Frame material
Filter Type
Filter material


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As current generation of "digital" kids grow up, the one skill they are going to need absolutely is ability to design their life. What I mean by "life" is both at a higher level – who they are, what & who they like/dislike, what they want, what they want to become etc and at the lower, day to day level – what they should do with time, attention and money right now, next hour, next day and how they should go about doing it.
I know that's way too abstract. Just hold that thought while I present another abstract one.
What I mean by "design" is making the right choice amongst all the options available regarding anything – from small day to day decisions to big life-altering ones in the areas education, money, media, sports, technology, career, marriage, health etc.
With those clarifications, let me restate my assertion: The one skill our kids would need now and in the (near) future, to be happy & successful anyway, is the ability to design their life.
I assume you follow me so far. If not, sorry, let me suggest you take a break.
So why is this so important to our kids?? (I guess it is as important to us grown ups as well!)
If you are at least 20 years or older right now, you likely escaped the digital immersion when you were little and growing up. For anyone over 30, and especially if you grew up like me in the developing world, most of our early life, until at least when we were 17, was designed by our parents. Outside of the academic books, we only read what our parents bought or subscribed – mostly for themselves which we read anyway. We only saw what was interesting on the 2 or 3 channels in the television. We occasionally learned how to speak on the black rotary dial phones when uncles call from distant parts of the country. Outside of friends from school and neighborhood, we only mingled with people our parents knew. We played the one or two sports that everyone in the country played.
Good or bad, our parents set up the 'world' we grew up in. Moreover, in a majority of cases, our parents hadn't consciously designed it either. If we are happy and successful today, we should thank the Gods. An environment arbitrarily designed by our parents worked by fluke to get you to be who and where you are today.
On the other hand, just think about the world we are in right now and what we are providing our kids. We are in an unbelievable state of information overload & choice explosion. There is hundreds, if not thousands, of choices to pick for what you want in a toothbrush to what you want in a bed and everything you would need and want in between.
I stumbled upon this fact recently:
An average super market contains about 50,000 items! of which is 15 different types of toothpaste.
Another statistic: there are 9500 banks in the US with $100 million or more in assets.
Another: there are at least 3500 different types of occupations one could take up, according to US Department of Labor.
Another: 150,000 new website domain names are registered every single day! As of today, there are at least 128 million internet sites online! (Souce : Domain Tools)
and the best statistic of all from information economy…
Between the dawn of civilization and 2003 there were 5 exabytes of data collected (an Exabyte equals 1 quintillion bytes). Today 5 exabytes of data gets collected every two days! Soon there will be 5 exabytes every few minutes.
While it may be a good thing to have many choices, too many will eventually bring us down. The toughest thing for us and for kids in the future, is making the choice from the very many!
Besides, it appears today's environment might not only complicated but somewhat damaging than what we had 20 or 30 years ago. Yet, many of today's parents are not conscious of the world their kids are growing up today. Lets take note of our ignorance: Through our day to day choices, we are designing the environment our children grow up in, and ultimately, the life they will make for themselves. I suppose kids older than 5 are already making their own choices in many aspects that would shape their life – whether parents influence those choices is up on us.
With how fast kids grow up (mentally & physically!) these days, we only have a small window of opportunity to even influence them before they tune us out. I don't want to boil the ocean by designing every little thing for our kids. But are we thoughtful about what they hear? what and how they talk? what books they read? what activities they do? what TV channels or movies they watch? what clothing they wear? what day care or schools they go? what kind of friends they have? where they hangout? what sports they play? what subjects they are good at? what skills and talents they are building? what their belief system is? what they value and don't value?
All of that depends on how good of a parent we are. And by the way, did anyone teach us how to be a good parent?? We are scrambling to figure out what good parenting actually means! especially in today's complicated world. By the time we get a feel for it, our first child might have grown past the age to care to listen to us! Add to that, many of us are happily re-living our own life as if we are teenagers – piling up latest fashions, gadgets, gizmos, manga books, animation films and what not.
We – the 20s 30s, 40s with kids still growing up – are indeed in the midst of unusual times. We are learning and designing our own life, while simultaneously designing the life of our kids. If we don't take it seriously, we will be consciously betting on the same Gods and luck to bless our kids with a well-designed life – unlike our parents who simply did it unconsciously!
PS: I have used the word "design" rather heavily. I believe that every choice we make is in essence designing our own life – as if our life is like an artwork or craft or object one would design bit by bit. Every person is design outcome of his or her past.


text: Overlord 2007 Cheat Codes: ------------ Submitted by: RM Water: ------ When there is water in front of you or blocking your path, only you can walk through it. If your goblin minions go out of the shallow end of the water they will drown, and can only be saved by blue goblins. Instead of guiding your goblin minions across a complex path to keep out of the water (which they usually fall in anyway and drown), simply walk through the water. Your minions are smart enough not to follow you and will automatically seek the easiest path to get back to you. Be careful; sometimes your minions cannot get through because a bridge needs to be activated (for example, Blue Goblin Cave). Easy soul gathering: -------------------- In order to do this you must have fought Dazzler Beetles (found in the blue minion cave), Puff Beetles (Evernight), Magma Beetles (outside of Heavens Peak) and Battler Beetles. After you have fought at least one of each, they will be available at your dungeon. Go to your dungeon and choose to fight one of the four. The easiest way to take out the horde of beetles is to pull only a few from the swarm and take your time killing them individually. Green minions work well due to the fact that they are experts at overwhelming and killing your enemies. Set a marker for them to wait at and they will eventually turn invisible. Pull a few beetles and make them follow you to the marker, where your minions will then jump on them and eventually kill them. Battler Beetles are good for getting Brown souls. Puff Beetles are good for getting Green souls. Magma Beetles give red souls and Dazzler beetles give blue souls. You should get at least 75 souls each time you completely kill all of the beetles that are in the dungeon. Easy soul gathering 2: ---------------------- Use the following trick for fast green minion soul gathering. When you find the green minion hive you will see five green minions jump into the spawning pit for you to take control of. Do not do that. Instead, go to the tower using the gate beside the tree spawn pits to your right, then return to the green minion hive. Five more green minions will jump into the spawn pit and you will still have the ones from before. You can do this as many times as desired, but after you take the hive it will no longer work. Easy max imbued gear: --------------------- Forge a piece of gear without imbuing anything into it. Then, upgrade it and put as many minions into it as desired. As soon as the animation starts, but before any minions jump into the smelter, pause the game, save, and exit. When you return, the minions will have been imbued, but will not have been taken from your supply. Poor Overlord's Power-up: ------------------------- If you died recently and your minions are weakened, go to either Halfling Homes or the village of Spree, and break all the objects for new weapons and armor. This is no substitute for actually upgrading your minions, but it works at the start of the game! Guard duty: ----------- Always have blue minions on guard duty. While on a guard post, they will actively run into the combat, grab a fallen peer, and drag their half conscious form over to you so they can revive their fallen comrade. However, while not assigned, they will wait for you to micromanage them over to the body by sweeping, making them almost useless in a large battle. Dungeon Force: -------------- When lifeforce is harder to come by with the advance smelters, visit the tower dungeon and use the staged fights to earn lifeforce. A mix of minions will let you set ambushes and revive any losses. The only downside are that your have no spells to use. Easy Rollie Boss battle: ------------------------ Target-lock onto Rollie and start to circle him while he prepares attacks. After he attacks you should be able to get directly behind him while he pauses and circle up to his side. Stand against the tank treads on his side and start hacking away at him. He will not move or try to attack you. You can defeat him in each phase of his battle this way and it requires no minions to do so. Master and Minion Multitude Achievements: ----------------------------------------- The best way to unlock the Minion Multitude Achievement is to visit the Dungeon with an ultimately imbued Arcanium Sword and Armor. For the weapon, don't balance out your minion sacrifices so that you get a little bit of everything and instead focus on increasing the damage (brown minions) and just a little of the green minions to do massive damage with the power blow. For the armor, don't balance out your minion sacrifices so that you get a little bit of everything and instead focus on increasing the defence (brown minions) and just a little of the green minions to regenerate life slowly (about 5 to 10%). Don't take any minions with you and when you go into the dungeon and approach each group of enemies slowly so that you face only a few at a time. This way if your health gets low you can run away for a bit and regenerate. Unlimited gold: --------------- When you are in Evernight-swamp, go near to waterfall with the blue minions. Send them into the waterfall and they will return with gold. Wait for a short amount of time and send them again. They will return with more gold. You can do this at any time.


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Over this past Summer I finally got to create a little garden of my own on my top floor apartment balcony. It was the first time renting a place that I had an outdoor space to call my own. Being on a very tight budget I snagged this mini watering can from my best friend who had planned on tossing it out because she had been using it as a temporary source until she could find a prettier looking one. As you can see, you can't really blame her. So I snatched it up and brought it home to try to salvage. This only took one quiet afternoon with just me, some acrylic paints, finishing spray and a little patience.
That sticker absolutely refused to budge. It took a lot of soaking and scrubbing and picking to finally come off. Because it had that nasty little rust mark on the spout I painted the other side but I did cover the rust with a little yellow paint.
I used a picture of a magnolia for the general idea of how I wanted it to look but I knew I wanted a blending of bright pinks against the yellow. I think I would try a purple or maybe a blue next time around. I did the lettering freehand which can be really tricky so if you don't think your hand is steady enough then another way you can do this is by browsing through the fonts on Microsoft Word and printing out the size you want on a piece of paper. Then you just cut out the letters using an exacto knife and tape it to your project. Basically your just making your own stencil which is easy peasy. When I was finished with the paint I covered my outdoor table in newspaper and sprayed down the can with a finisher to make sure it could withstand the elements outside and not crack or peel. The total cost of this project was $1.50 for the spray since the watering can itself was free and I already had paints and brushes.
This is a little shot from my balcony. My pretty new watering can helped keep these flowers very happy!
This is a little shot from my balcony. My pretty new watering can helped keep these flowers very happy!


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More seriously, Eric writes,
Something strange started happening to youth unemployment rates starting around December of 2008.and
The global recession had started in earnest, but seemed to be nowhere in New Zealand's unemployment statistics – at least among adults.
The adult unemployment rate hit 3.3% in 2008's December quarter; not alarmingly higher than it had been in the prior few years.
But the unemployment rate for 16 and 17 year olds, which had always tracked a fairly predictable but noisy path above the adult unemployment rate, instead took a jump.
Where we might have expected a youth unemployment rate around 14%, it instead touched 20%.
Two quarters later, when adult unemployment rates hit 4.5%, and we would have expected youth unemployment rates around 16%, the youth unemployment rate instead hit 27%.
What might have caused youth and adult unemployment outcomes to take such divergent paths? One explanation, and I think the correct one, is the Labour government's abolition of the differential lower youth minimum wage effective April 2008.Demand curves do slope downwards. Eric continues,
Youth unemployment rates did not spike immediately afterwards, but neither would we have expected them to; employers are not likely to fire youths en masse with a change in the minimum wage, but they are likely to avoid hiring younger and riskier workers when more experienced and similarly-priced alternatives are available. And they're also likely to stop creating the kinds of jobs that can usefully be done by lower-paid youths.
It's always possible that something else caused the change, but it's not easy to come up with a "something else" that either has the right timing, the right age targeting, or is big enough to plausibly have done the job.Those who wish to claim that the abolition of the youth minimum wage didn't cause the divergence in unemployment rates have the challenge of coming up with the "something else". There must be some labour economists out there who can raise to the occasion.